MY GYMNASTICS PHOTO BOOK

By Anne B.

«Gymnastics is a real passion allowing my 8 years old daughter to discover perseverance, discipline and a first true self-actualization feeling! We had lot of fun and ease to create together her first album dedicated to her training sessions and her competitions. We decided to create a «training journal» in which she describe and illustrate what she can do on the different gymnastics apparatus.»

MY EXPERIENCE

ACCESS THE GYM TO TAKE PICTURES

The access to the gym is often restricted, parents have to wait outside, far from the gymnasts. That is understandable, the flash of the photo camera could compromise the gymnasts concentration and security. That is why that kind of photo session needs a good planification. However, with the coach cooperation, it may be possible to access the gym with your child for a short period after the end of the class. If this is not possible, the best solution ma be to use a tripod and a zoom from the waiting area outside of the gym. Put the camera close to the window to avoid any unwanted reflections. Also, make sure to turn off the flash. In my case, I enrich my book withs pictures of my daughter wearing her team leotard in the gym hallways and in the waiting areas in compétions. I also took few pictures at home, in front of a white wall, where my daugter could take her time to show me her best static figures. That way, I could focus on the gymnastic beam and bars for the ten minutes I was allowed to stay in the gym.

PLANNING A SHOOTING SESSION

Because we were so limited in time, my daughter and I planned out what figures we could photograph. We printed our figures list, which we followed rigorously in order to take the maximum out of our photo session. I also took few pictures of the empty gym before the class to use as personalized page background. To help us create our figures list, we consult gymnastic specialized websites like: http://www.gymnasticsnet.com/foto.html or http://www.gymnasticsrevolution.com/GymInteractive-Index.htm